Ilsur Metshin to the participants of the forum “Good Kazan”: “I am proud to live among such people”

Photo by Marat Muginov

(KZN.RU,
November 30, Ksenia Shvetsova). Today, in the framework of the III All-Russian
Forum “Good Kazan”, a discussion was held on the topic “Why should the
authorities invest in the development of charity?”. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of
Kazan, Sergey Novikov, the head of the Presidential Office for Public Projects,
Anna Kuznetsova, the Commissioner for Children's Rights, the Damir Fattakhov,
the minister of Youth Affairs of the RT, as well as heads of non-profit
organizations and charitable foundations from more than 30 regions took part in
it.

2018 was
declared the year of volunteers in Russia, recalled Sergey Novikov. This, in
turn, affected the work of non-profit organizations and charitable foundations.
In particular, funding for non-profit organizations through presidential grants
has significantly increased. In total, 6786 projects totaling 14.5 billion
rubles were supported for the years 2017-2018. “Non-profit organizations of
Tatarstan took a leading position in the distribution of presidential grants.
This year, Kazan non-profit organizations have come out on a sustainable third
place after St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg”, S. Novikov reminded and added
that last year 89 Kazan non-profit organizations became grantees for 139
million rubles, in 2018 – 118 non-profit organizations for 174 million rubles.

There is a
very high level of co-financing of charitable projects at the expense of the
organizations, authorities and private companies in Kazan and it is of great
importance. “If business and local authorities do not support non-profit
organizations, then it turns out that nobody needs their projects, except the
President. I am glad that you have a different situation. Now we have passed a
law through the State Duma that allows giving a business to reduce the taxable
base while participating in public projects”, said the head of the Presidential
Administration for Public Projects. He also noted that many important
initiatives are being implemented in Kazan, which can be broadcast throughout
the country. Thus, as an example, S. Novikov cited the Diary of Good Deeds as
an example, which he had previously been presented at the exhibition.

“This is
obviously a potential for wide functional use. It would seem such a simple
motivation of first-graders to do good deeds, but this can change society. In
the eyes of parents, their own child changes their outlook, understanding what
is good and what is bad. Although the cost of this project is not expensive at
all”, said the speaker. He added that the children's hospice created by Vladimir
Vavilov is also an excellent practice. We know that there are many people who
want to invest in charity projects, but are not sure how to do it right”.

In
addition, S. Novikov noted that matching was successfully carried out in Kazan
to create the register required for bone marrow transplants.

Answering
the question of the discussion platform, S. Novikov said that it is important
for the authorities to assist non-profit organizations in the first place for
economic development. “Another goal is a change in the atmosphere in society
when good deeds are welcomed in the country when the entire state machine is
directed towards this, then the entire internal political atmosphere changes
towards a positive one”.

Over the
past 3 years, the number of public organizations has decreased by 5.2%, the
number of charitable funds has decreased by 9%, but the number of volunteers
has increased by 20%. “I myself was a volunteer for a long time, then I created
a foundation, then I developed it. I tried to come up with system solutions,
and I felt all the difficulties that public organizations face”, said Anna
Kuznetsova. Among the main problems, she singled out the personnel shortage,
the loss of the staff number due to the impossibility of constant funding of
non-profit organizations. At the same time, the speaker noted, today new
resources and other requests to public organizations appear. They should be
sensitive to social changes, the tasks that exist in society today, and to
respond to them professionally.

But the most
important problem is the question of the constancy of funding. Presidential
grants helped largely resolve this issue. According to A. Kuznetsova, this is a
wonderful tool for supporting non-profit organizations.

New
approaches and ideas of activists who are members of non-profit organizations
are needed to solve the set tasks, believes A. Kuznetsova. “Your work creates
new state programs. A small or large social project can become a systematic
state one, get into the state program, as it happened to palliative care. It
was just a project created by a group of dedicated people, and now it has
become a fast-growing, independent industry”, said the speaker. She recalled
that in order for all organizations to have the opportunity to speak, a Public
Council was created in Russia. It includes 120 public organizations, there are
special groups that deal with various types of assistance.

“We created
a special platform in order to better hear the proposals that non-profit
organizations have today, called it the “Office Project”, said A. Kuznetsova.
She explained that the site considered proposals that could become legislative
initiatives and ideas of the federal level.

Thanks to
public organizations, innovations are implemented in the direction of
children's policy. Last year, the Childhood Vector project was created with
more than 300 applications, each of which offered a new approach or tool for
improving children's and youth policy. “We have seen many good, useful, and
necessary projects that can help a particular child or a family. These thoughts
and innovations are born in your territory, in your daily work”, said A.
Kuznetsova. She urged the heads of foundations and organizations to offer their
ideas and participate in the discussion of initiatives at the federal level.

“It is
important that non-profit organizations do not replace the state, but the state
should not rest. We must go hand in hand, supporting each other”, the speaker
concluded.

Ilsur
Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, said in his speech that the forum “Good Kazan”,
brings together active and responsive people from across the country for the
third time. The first time, it was held so that foundations and organizations
could meet and unite in a common cause. We started without any experience. I am
sincerely glad that many organizations have become not just our partners, but
close friends. I am grateful for the work that we do together. Today we can
already say that the “Good Kazan” is succeeded”.

The Mayor
said that the initiative for schoolchildren, who began to regularly hold
charity fairs and raise funds to help those in need, spurred the emergence of
the project “Good Kazan”. “When we visited one of these fairs, we saw many
children with bright, burning eyes who want to help. Today we hold good fairs
twice a year in spring and autumn. And the “Good Kazan” has become one of the
12 priorities for the development of our city”, he said. The “Good Kazan” is a
platform for the birth of new projects. One of them is the festival “Good
Wave”, which today has covered many large cities of Russia. The finalists of
the festival arrived in the capital of Tatarstan. Today they perform on the
same stage with Russian pop stars. “Talent has no limits. We are pleased that
thanks to this festival, abilities are revealed, children are glowing”, the
Mayor said.

The Mayor
also thanked the country's leadership for supporting the development of
philanthropy and the implementation of significant projects for the country.
“It is especially important that this is supported at the highest level. People
know that their work is important. I see how many caring people there are here
and I hope that we are only at the beginning. A slogan appeared in our city:
“Together, not instead!” and today we, together with our colleagues, are doing
this great thing. I am proud that I live among such kind people as you”, I.
Metshin concluded.

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The "City of Kazan KZN.RU" news agency is responsible for the content and support of the mayor of Kazan website. Any materials of the mayor of Kazan website may be reproduced in the mass media, on the Internetservers or by any other means without any restrictions as to the volume and timing of publication on thecondition that they are credited to the original source (an interactive link is required in the case of copyingportal information on the Internet). No prior permission for reprints by the "City of Kazan KZN.RU" news agency or by the mayor of Kazan press office is required.